RIKEN

Even the simplest forms of life face an endless barrage of decisions—where to search for sustenance, for example, or how to avoid predators. Various mathematical models can mimic these decision-making processes, coming ...

Storing information in long-lasting quantum states is a prerequisite for building quantum computers. Intrinsic properties of nuclei known as magnetic spins are good storage candidates because they interact weakly with their ...

Most galaxies are assumed to have at their heart a supermassive black hole that draws in vast amounts of surrounding matter. As this matter is sucked in, it releases energy in the form of intense x-ray emissions that in some ...

Matter is categorized as either conductive, semi-conductive or resistive to the flow of electrons based on its bulk properties. However, physicists have now predicted a new state of matter in which the bulk of the material ...

Rigorous analysis of the structures of thousands of plant proteins by Tetsuya Sakurai and colleagues from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science has led to the construction of a database that will help scientists ...

Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have determined the atomic resolution structure of a key molecule that translates signals from a cell's local environment into a language that the cell can understand and use. ...

The stability of an atomic nucleus strongly depends on the number of protons and neutrons it contains. Some nuclei can, in principle, live forever, whereas others last only a fraction of a second before decaying into different ...

Scientists from RIKEN and the University of Tokyo have developed a new type of ultra-thin photovoltaic device, coated on both sides with stretchable and waterproof films, which can continue to provide electricity from sunlight ...

Clues into the evolutionary diversification of brassicas have emerged from the draft Chinese cabbage genome sequence. Brassica crops include many agriculturally important vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, pak choi, turnip, ...